Media regulation debate

 

1.       Should media companies be in charge of regulating their own content or should the government have a bigger role in this?

Media companies would not be fully in charge of regulating content as it would allow their agendas to be more easily realised as they would have greater control of the content which people are watching. This is especially true as social media is one of the most consumed forms of media in the world

2.       How does government regulation affect what we see and hear in the media? Can too much regulation stifle creativity and free speech or is it necessary for protecting the public?

Government regulation censor the information that we see and hear. This may be to protect their agenda or to protect their audiences from offensive content. Too much censorship will stifle creativity and free speech as many key controversial issues in the modern world could be left out of media. It will also stifle creativity as writers will have less options to work with

3.       Do social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter need more rules and oversight, or should they be left to regulate themselves? How might this impact our online experiences?

Facebook and twitter do not need more rules in my opinion. They are free to regulate themselves as they are private companies, not public spaces. However, government intervention should be free to act whenever and wherever. This impacts online experiences as not everything we say im public will pass online depending on the social media guidelines (iie. Nazi jokes, mockery of the left)

4.       Should schools teach students media literacy? How might this help us better navigate the media we consume and is it the responsibility of educators or individuals themselves

Media literacy should be taught in a student’s formative years, 10-14, to ensure that they are able to filter out content and not get brainwashed by the multitude of media agendas around the world. This will make audiences more aware of the content which they are watching and so will make many theories such as cultivation theory less effective in terms of the application of media agendas. However I believe it is the responsibility of the individuals themselves to be media literate as It would be their choice to decide.